Culture

Directed by Mike Newell
(2.5/5)

 
 
It is a cursed Hollywood trend that video-game-to-movie adaptations simply don’t work. Hitman, Farcry, and Max Payne are evidence of this. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the newest adaptation to hit the big screen and although it doesn’t reverse this pattern, it’s a small step in the right direction. 
The film focuses on the adventurous and extremely acrobatic Prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) who, after being framed for a crime he did not commit, is forced to join alliances with a beautiful rival princess (Gemma Arterton). Armed with a dagger that allows him to momentarily reverse the flow of time, the Prince sets out to stop the traitor from releasing a catastrophic sandstorm upon the world. 
Excluding the greatly altered storyline, Prince of Persia is a faithful adaptation of the game. The elements that made the game so great – the leaping from rooftops to rooftops, the fast fighting style, and even the flirtatious bickering between the Prince and the Princess – are all present. The action scenes are particularly thrilling to watch as the Prince effortlessly scales walls ten times his size. Unfortunately, the constant banter between the Prince and the Princess doesn’t translate well into the film and ends up coming across as very clichéd and sometimes cringe-worthy.
If you’ve never played the games, Prince of Persia’s entertainment value will depend on your love of the adventure/action genre and how much sappy dialogue you can tolerate. If you’re a fan of the game, you’ll either love it for what it manages to capture about the games, or hate it for what it does not. Either way, it’s the best video game adaptation to date – but, then again, that’s not saying much.